NO CAKES FROM LITTLE DEBBY FOR KERR LAKE – JUST A LOT OF WATER!
With Tropical Storm Debby heading towards Kerr Lake, officials are predicting that water levels could go as high as 315 feet above mean sea level, before the water level subsides.
To put that into perspective, the normal full pool of John H. Kerr Reservoir (Buggs Island Lake), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is 300 feet above mean sea level.
Generally, the US Army Corps of Engineers owns up to 320 feet above mean sea level, but there are camping sites, public areas, boat ramps, and roads around Kerr Lake that are below 320 feet.
That means flooding in low-lying areas. One of the first roads around the lake to flood is the road on and at Nutbush Bridge.
Some waterfront campsites, more noticeably on the North Carolina side, could be underwater with high water conditions lasting into this coming weekend, depending on how quickly the US Army Corps of Engineers enacts the QRR plan and procedure.
If you follow the weather-related water level on the US Army Corps of Engineers page: https://epec.saw.usace.army.mil/dsskerr.txt
The page is usually updated hourly.
On the attached screenshot, the aqua colored outlined column, shows the level of Kerr Lake. The red circled column shows the inflow of water to Kerr Lake in CFS (Cubic Feet per Second). The fushsia colored column shows the current water release from Kerr Lake, also in CFS.
After the storm Debby passes, campers with reservations may want to contact their respective park agency to determine if parks are open and their reserved campsite is open. Another danger from soaking, torrential rains is that the ground gets soft and large trees can topple.
Remember, if you approach water across or mostly across a roadway, in a park or not, the best advice is to turn around. DO NOT DRIVE THROUGH STANDING WATER.